Principles for Navigating the Anthropocene
July 19, 2023
Earth has entered a new geologic epoch, called the Anthropocene, according to a group of experts who study how humans have changed the planet and its ecosystems. In Issues, Braden Allenby proposes some basic principles to help society navigate this new world. One tenet is that we shouldn’t aim for silver-bullet “solutions” to global problems—an unrealistic goal, the author concludes—but rather for ways to manage complex emerging conditions more broadly. This will require, among other things, “the conscious cultivation of technological, institutional, and social options—a toolkit for adapting rapidly to changes in Earth systems.”